Monthly Archives: July 2010

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Westlake has looked sharp during summer passing competitions, but most agree it’s going to be tough for the defending Northern Division champions to finish 14-0 again, especially now that national powers Oaks Christian of Westlake Village and St. Bonaventure of Ventura have joined the Marmonte League.

“At Westlake, we always take things one game at a time, but 14-0? You could say there’s a chance,” receiver Nelson Spruce said. “But last year, we didn’t have all the accolades like we do this year, so we really need to stay focused and keep working hard because we’re ranked a lot harder, so there’s a target on our back every week.”

After rushing for more than 2,000 yards last season, running back Kevin Ervin of Poly of Sun Valley still does not have a scholarship offer, but coach Scott Faer believes it’s just a matter of time.

“Kevin is going to have another great year. He’s stronger, and his explosion is just ridiculous,” Faer said. “A lot of these other great running backs in the area are just hype. They’re not in Kevin’s class. Plus, pretty much our whole offensive line is returning. We only lost one guy, and they one replacing him is better.”

His main sport is basketball, but multipurpose back Austin McBroom of Campbell Hall of North Hollywood also is receiving recruiting interest in football after scoring 15 touchdowns last season, including seven on kick returns.

“Austin has four big colleges that are close to offering, including a couple from the Pac-10, but I don’t want to say which ones until it’s official,” Campbell Hall coach Russ Gordon said.

McBroom has not been participating in summer practice because of basketball commitments. In the meantime, Josh Ross, a 6-foot-3 junior, has emerged as a key receiver for returning quarterback R.J. Gordon, the coach’s son. Also, sophomore Blade Brady and senior Louis Collins are competing at running back. Brady is the brother of former basketball standout Bryce Brady, now at Air Force.

After earning Division IV Boys State Athlete of the Year status last year,
recent Junipero Serra (Gardena, Calif.) graduate Robert Woods did one better
for the 2010-2011 school year.

All in all, Woods leaves Serra with three CIF state titles — two in track and
one in football – plus numerous mentions in the Cal-Hi Sports Record Book &
Almanac. Now Woods can add the prestigious title of 2009-10 ESPN RISE Cal-Hi
Sports Boys State Athlete of the Year.

Since 1980, the two-sport star is the only athlete from his particular
geographic area of Los Angeles County to win the Boys State Athlete of the
Year award, and the seventh overall from the county, joining Mike Smith
(1982-83, Hacienda Heights Los Altos), John Williams (1983-84, Los Angeles
Crenshaw), Ken-Yon Rambo (1996-97, Long Beach Poly), Chris Lewis (1998-99,
Long Beach Poly), Steve Smith (2002-03, Woodland Hills Taft) and Mike Stanton
(2006-07, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame).

As a wide receiver and co-captain on the Cavaliers’ 15-0 football team,
Woods had another outstanding season, finishing with 66 catches for 1,112
yards and 15 touchdowns. He also had 70 yards rushing and one score.

On the other side of the ball from his defensive back position, he recorded 96
tackles and had eight interceptions, two of which he returned to pay dirt.

The USC-bound Woods electrified the crowd at Carson last December in the
Cavaliers’ 24-20 CIF Division III State Football Championship Bowl Game
victory over Marin Catholic (Kentfield, Calif.).

On Serra’s first play from scrimmage, the state’s most explosive receiver
scored on a 67-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Conner Preston, taking a
short out pattern all the way while flying past defenders.

The 6-1, 185-pounder finished the game with the Division III bowl game record
for receiving yardage (180), and his two touchdown receptions tied him for
that record as well.

For his career at Serra, Woods ended up with 192 catches for 3,310 yards
receiving and 41 touchdowns. All three totals place him high on the respective
lists in the state record book. His career total of 25 interceptions on the
other side of the ball show his unique skills further since only one other
player in state history (Steve Smith) is on both reception and interception
record lists.

In track, the fleet-footed Woods surpassed last year’s showing at the CIF
state meet, anchoring the Cavaliers’ 4×400 gold medal relay team, and taking
silver and bronze medals in the 400 and 200.

The relay team nearly broke a 25-year-old national record and cruised to a
3:08.72 mark in the state final.

In the 400, Woods had the second-fastest time in the nation at 46.17 seconds,
trailing only fellow Californian Josh Mance of Don Lugo (Chino Hills, Calif.).
His top 200 time was 21.01 seconds.

“I’m a football guy first so the highlight last year was the perfect
season and going all the way, but it was great to break some records in track
and leave Serra on a good mark,” said Woods from the campus of USC where he
is taking summer classes and undergoing conditioning.

“It felt good to be named for a statewide honor last year and it feels great
to be considered again. California is the tops and the best competition,” he
continued.

Besides having the goal to play in the pros, Woods, who carried a 4.0 GPA as a
senior at Serra and 3.5 overall, would like to become an entrepreneur or a
scholar.

“I definitely have a number one goal of playing in the NFL. As for a career
and what I’m going to study, I came to USC thinking business but my eyes
opened up to sociology. To excel, though, I’ll have to get my masters.
That’s another one of my plans.”

To the possibility of running track for the Trojans, Woods says, “It’s up
in the air. We’ll see how the school year goes academically and
football-wise.”

Note: List continues back to 1890-91 in the Cal-Hi Sports State Record Book &
Almanac. All selections prior to 1978-79 done retroactively through research
by our founder, the late Nelson Tennis. Corrections or comments? Email
mark@studentsports.com.

More Boys State Athletes of the Year

Best of the best for each CIF division and for underclass

Boys Division I:
Cody Kessler, Centennial (Bakersfield, Calif.) Jr.
The 6-3, 205-pound two-sport athlete who was All State Underclass first team
offense in football gets the nod over an outstanding list of two-sport
athletes after registering solid seasons on the gridiron and the hardwood. In
football, the Golden Hawks’ quarterback led the team to a 9-5 record and a
runner-up spot in Central Section Division I playoffs. He passed for 2,169
yards and 10 TDs and ran for 290 yards and eight more scores. Kessler was also
the team’s punter. In hoops, the March 2 ESPN RISE Cal-Hi Sports Boys State
Athlete of the Week was All-State Division I and finished far and away as the
Central Section’s leading scorer with a 29.4 per game average and 706
points. For his career, he has a school-record 1,771 points. Kessler has
committed to USC for football and has said he won’t play basketball next
season so he can graduate early and attend college the following spring.

Boys Division II:
Victor Dean, Lincoln (San Diego, Calif.) Sr.
The 6-foot-6 power forward was the glue that held the team together and a
major force in the Division II top-ranked Hornets’ 29-2 season that
culminated in a second state basketball championship for the school. He was at
his best in the state title game 74-59 victory over St. Francis of Mountain
View, finishing tied for game-high scoring honors with 24 points, while
pulling down a game-high 11 rebounds. On the season, Dean had per game
averages of 14.9 points, 7.9 rebounds 2.3 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.7 steals.
Amazingly, basketball isn’t his top sport. In football, the wide receiver
will take his talents to the Fresno State gridiron this coming fall. He caught
55 passes for 1,431 yards and 20 touchdowns as a senior. He also had two
interceptions on defense. For a third sport, Dean was on the Lincoln track
team. He had a best in the long jump of 23 feet.

Boys Division III:
Robert Woods, Serra (Gardena, Calif.) Sr.
Also selected as the Cal-Hi Sports Boys State Athlete of the Year. This is the
second straight year in which the Division III winner also is the overall
honoree following Tyler Gaffney of San Diego Cathedral Catholic.

Boys Division IV:
Robby Rowland, Cloverdale (Cloverdale, Calif.) Sr.
This one was a slam dunk for the two-sport star from the Redwood Empire. In
fact, because of his prowess in baseball and basketball, the 6-foot-6,
210-pound small town hero got consideration for overall state athlete of the
year. Basketball is where he etches his name in the ESPN RISE Cal-Hi
Sports.com Record Book & Almanac but it’s at the diamond and on the mound
that landed him as the Arizona Diamondbacks’ 88th pick in the MLB Draft, the
first prep player from Northern California selected. In his senior season,
Rowland was 7-1 on the mound with a 0.32 ERA while striking out 117 batters in
65 innings. At the plate, he hit .473 with 20 RBIs and six homers. Before
lacing up the cleats, he burned the nets for the Eagles and single-handedly
almost got them past eventual Northern Regional D4 champion St. Mary’s of
Berkeley, dropping in 26 points with 17 rebounds and five assists in a 64-60
playoff loss that ended his hoops career. Rowland’s career showed 2,548
points, good enough for 26th all-time in California history according to
Record Book & Almanac, most ever for the Redwood Empire. He had a scholarship
to Oregon but decided to take $395,000 and play for the Missoula (Montana)
Ospreys in the Diamondbacks’ short season rookie ball system. “That call I
got to play in the Area Code games last year has paid off big time,” said
Rowland when reached in Montana by Cal-Hi Sports. “I probably could have
waited and signed for more money but I really don’t care that much about the
money, I just wanted to get out there and play and make good first
impressions.” He follows his former Cloverdale teammate, Mitch Delfino, last
year’s Boys Division V Athlete of the Year.

Boys Division V:
A.J. Vanegas, Redwood Christian (Castro Valley, Calif.) Sr.
The 2009 Area Code Games whiz and Stanford-bound pitcher who consistently
throws in the 90s edges basketball standout Troy Leaf for this honor. Vanegas
led Redwood Christian to its first-ever NCS baseball championship. The seventh
round pick in the MLB draft by the San Diego Padres topped off his high school
career by throwing a no-hitter with 10 strikeouts in a 2-0 victory over
defending champion Head-Royce in the Div. V title game. On the season for the
22-5 Eagles, Vanegas posted an 11-0 record with two saves, a 0.67 ERA and a
section leading 141 strikeouts. At the plate, he hit .342 with nine doubles,
16 RBIs and nine stolen bases. When not pitching, Vanegas played shortstop.

Boys Junior Athlete of the Year:
George Farmer, Junipero Serra (Gardena, Calif.)
Farmer was an even easier choice to be the state’s top junior athlete than
it was to pick Serra senior Robert Woods as the overall athlete of the year.
He caught 41 passes for 891 yards and 12 TDs in football for the Cavaliers’
15-0 team. He’s already No. 4 in the ESPNU 150 for the Class of 2011. In
basketball, Farmer hit a huge three-pointer in the CIF Div. III state final
vs. Oakland Bishop O’Dowd and was a warrior on defense. In track, he was
second in the CIF state meet 100-meter dash final in 10.45 and ran a leg on
Serra’s 4×100 relay team that had a best of 40.66, which was No. 1 in the
nation at the time. “I had motivation to put Serra on the map,” he said.
“Being second at state in the 100 meters just topped it all off. Robert and
I met randomly in about the fifth or sixth grade and we have this chemistry to
just go for it in everything. We want our work ethic to be high and hopefully
others will follow.”

Boys Sophomore Athlete of the Year:
Rio Ruiz, Bishop Amat (La Puente, Calif.) Football, Baseball
With his hitting leading the way, the Lancers’ baseball team earned the top
seed in the CIFSS Division IV playoffs before being upset in the quarterfinals
by Torrance. On the season, he hit .528 with 34 RBIs while scoring 35 runs and
was the only non-senior to be selected to our All-State Baseball First Team.
He was recently selected to participate in the USA U16 trials in Houston,
Texas at the end of September but a tough decision awaits as doing so will
cause him to miss the first three football games of the season. Last year, he
caught 35 passes for 469 yards and three touchdowns while adding 22 tackles on
defense. Ruiz is expected to be in the mix to possibly start as the Lancers’
quarterback. He has already committed to go to USC for baseball.

Boys Freshman of the Year:
J.P. Crawford (Lakewood) Baseball
He may have played just one sport, but that is enough to get Crawford this
honor. Before the 2010 season even started, Crawford was selected to play with
the USA U14 National Team. For the first time in 27 years, Lakewood head coach
Spud O’Neil started a freshman for his squad as Crawford was penciled in
every day at the shortstop position. He rewarded his coach with hits in 29 of
Lakewood’s 34 games. On the season, he hit .410, scored 49 runs and knocked
in 21 runs while stealing 20 bases. The only other baseball state freshman of
the year to be named from the Moore League is former Major Leaguer Sean
Burroughs, who received the honor in 1995 while at Wilson of Long Beach.

Granada United, a girls’ soccer team based in Granada Hills, won the Slammers Futbol Classic (11-under) this past weekend in San Juan Capistrano, scoring 12 goals while allowing six in four games.

The second-year team won all four of its games in the tournament including wins over Slammers Maroon (6-2), ISC Strikers (3-2), Vikings (4-3 PK’s) in the semifinal and LAFC Chelsea Black in overtime (1-0) in the championship game.

“This was a great team effort, and each of the girls contributed to this victory,” coach Jose Vasquez said. “I am very proud of the way the girls performed in this very competitive tournament and battled back from being behind in every game. As we are a young team, I am very excited about our future.”

With new schools opening and beginning to participate in varsity sports, the City Section has realigned some its leagues for the upcoming season.

Sun Valley High will compete in its first year of varsity football and will be part of the East Valley along with Arleta, Grant of Van Nuys, North Hollywood, Poly of Sun Valley, and Verdugo Hills of Tujunga.

Monroe of North Hills also joins the East Valley League, moving over from the Valley Mission League.

Canoga Park and Van Nuys shift over from the East Valley to Valley Mission giving both leagues seven teams each. San Fernando, Reseda, Kennedy of Granada Hills, Sylmar and Panorama remain in the Valley Mission.

No changes were made to the West Valley League (Birmingham, Chatsworth, Cleveland, Granada Hills, and Taft).

Sun Valley won’t be the only area team with a first-year program. East Valley of North Hollywood will field a team and compete in the City Section’s 8-Man Division.

Artificial turf is being installed at El Camino Real. That’s the good news.

The bad news is, because of the time the Conquistadores are forced to play home games at Pierce College through Nov. 5 when the project is scheduled to be completed, athletic director Vincent Orlando said.
– Gerry Gittelson

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